Thursday, May 29, 2008

Update on . . . Ryan Pearson

Soon-to-be George Mason Patriot Ryan Pearson was one of the top players in New York this past season. Pearson, a 6'5 senior from Christ the King (NY), has a terrific inside-outside game that will lead him to eventually become one of the best players in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In my opinion, Pearson is one of the most underrated ballers in the nation. In fact, I asked Ryan how he would respond if someone were to call him America's most underrated player. Pearson said he wasn't sure because he hadn't heard that before, so I asked him what he thought after hearing it for the first time: "I don't feel I am the most underrated. . . . I feel I am underrated to a certain extent." The CTK star is right that he may not be the most underrated baller in the US, bit he's also correct in saying that he is underrated. Ryan Pearson is a kid that will have a major impact for GMU and will make some noise on a national level. I asked Pearson if he had been worried about George Mason Head Coach Jim Larranaga taking the job at Providence: "I was when I first heard about it, but then he kept me posted the whole time [and] told me [that] he wasn't going [anywhere]." Pearson is a player who will thrive at the mid-major level, and he will do well under the tutelage of Larranaga. Although he likely won't bring the Patriots back to the Final Four, a few CAA titles and some NCAA Tournament wins are strong possibilities for Pearson and Co. while he is at George Mason. Remember the name: Ryan Pearson.